Wednesday, January 15, 2014
From: Gary L. Bauer
Obama’s Three Branches Of Government
Speaking before reporters yesterday during his first cabinet meeting of the year, President Obama reiterated his intention to exercise his executive authority whenever congressional gridlock gets in the way. “We’re not just going to be waiting for legislation in order to make sure that we’re providing Americans the kind of help they need,” Obama said, adding “I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone.”
He then listed a number of issues from education to job training that sounded like a full legislative agenda, and he’s going to do it all with just his pen and his phone! (Watch him here.)
I can’t help but notice that Obama’s remarks came just one day after a clear majority of justices on the Supreme Court questioned his authority to decide when the Senate is in session. For more than 200 hundred years, no other president dared to suggest that he knew better than the Senate when the Senate was meeting and when it was not.
Why doesn’t Obama just disband Congress and the courts and save taxpayers some money? He is constantly moving the goal posts on Obamacare through executive actions, and he is using EPA regulations to accomplish his climate change agenda.
Senate Benghazi Report: Warnings Ignored; Attacks Preventable
The Senate Intelligence Committee today released its report on the September 11, 2012, attacks in Benghazi, Libya. The bi-partisan report is extremely critical of the State Department for ignoring growing threats in Benghazi, as well as repeated requests for improved security. As a result, four Americans, including our ambassador, were killed by Islamic extremists.
Contrary to recent attempts by the New York Times to downplay Al Qaeda’s role, the Senate Intelligence Committee report states that “Individuals affiliated with terrorist groups, including [Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb], Ansar al-Sharia, [Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula], and the Mohammad Jamal Network, participated in the September 11, 2012, attacks.”
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said, “In spite of the deteriorating security situation in Benghazi and ample strategic warnings, the United States Government simply did not do enough to prevent these attacks and ensure the safety of those serving in Benghazi.”
Government Is The Problem
What is the most important problem facing America today? It’s not the economy or even unemployment. Dissatisfaction with government (corruption, abuse of power, poor leadership) tops the list according to Gallup’s latest poll. And it’s no surprise why — at all levels it seems that government is out of control and not working for the taxpayers.
Every day stories of corruption, scandal and government ineptitude dominate the headlines. Obamacare is a colossal train wreck. The IRS is targeting Christian ministries and conservative organizations. The NSA is spying on average Americans. Judges are redefining marriage.
The ideals of public servants and government “of the people, by the people and for the people” seem to be lost in today’s hyper-partisan battles.
Senate Stalls On Unemployment Benefits
A deal to extend jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed fell apart in the Senate yesterday after Majority Leader Harry Reid attempted to limit Republicans to just five amendments and demanded that each amendment would require a super-majority vote to pass.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell blasted Reid’s proposal as a “ridiculous offer he knows we couldn’t possibly accept.”
Sanctions Needed Now
Barack Obama’s appeasement of Iran is causing heartburn for many congressional Democrats. Republicans are united in backing tougher sanctions against the Islamic regime’s rogue nuclear program. But Obama is treating the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism with kid gloves, and leading us in the wrong direction.
Bill Kristol’s Emergency Committee for Israel, where I serve on the board, has launched a TV ad calling on Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, to stand with Israel, as just other leading Democrats are, by support sanctions legislation. Watch the ad here.
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